Somewhere After Midnight
A Queen, as everyone knows, is a refined, dignified, upright human being. She puts on a convincing façade in times of trouble, she brings faith into the hearts of the people of her country, and she is a tower of strength to everybody everywhere. And, as expected, she would never, ever cry.
It came as a surprise, therefore, that the beautiful, wise, Queen Clarisse Renaldi of Genovia was curled on her vast bed, hidden beneath the blankets, tears sliding slowly down her face. She lay in the middle of the bed, a habit she had acquired after Rupert had died. Her heart was breaking, and it was making her the most vulnerable she had ever been in her entire life.
The door of her suite creaked open slowly and a young woman looked tentatively into the room.
"Grandma?"
Clarisse looked up sharply. Her granddaughter stood inside the doorway, wearing a slightly curious look on her face.
"Grandma, are you okay? What's wrong?"
She walked over to the bed.
"Mia-"
Clarisse quickly swept the tears away, willing herself to stop crying. Mia hesitated as she watched her normally strong grandmother sit upright and wipe the tears from her wise eyes. Looking up, Clarisse smiled sadly at Mia's apprehensive face.
"It's alright, my darling," Clarisse said, scooting over and indicating for Mia to sit.
Mia sat, but didn't look at her grandmother, instead staring straight ahead, so as not to rush Clarisse into an explanation that was obviously too painful to speak of. Clarisse sighed.
"Even Queens have bad days, Mia. Remember that."
Mia looked at her grandmother. This woman knew Mia better than perhaps Mia's own mother did; Clarisse had given Mia the greatest gift a young woman-or anyone, for that matter- could receive: the ability to believe in herself.
"Look, Grandma," Mia said, "I don't know what's going on, but it must be pretty heart-wrenching to make you cry. You're the strongest person I know-that I'll ever know, for that matter. And I know that you never would do it, but if you need help, I'm always around."
Clarisse smiled.
"Thank you, my dear, but this is one thing I have to face on my own. I made my choice. Even if it…" she trailed off, staring at her hands in her lap, "…even if it is against what my heart desires."
She pulled her knees up and rested her hands on them, defeated. A quick, somewhat longing glance at her bedside table told Mia exactly what was causing her grandmother such pain.
Mia, somewhat sneakily-a big thing for her-had grabbed her camera and taken a picture of Clarisse and Joseph, Clarisse's Head of Security and, in Mia's opinion, true love, walking down the path on the garden path in the garden, hand in hand. Their backs were to the camera, their heads turned toward one another, while dusk fell around them and the soft lights around the warmly perfumed flowers shone softly, creating the most beautiful glow around the pair.
Mia had made two copies of the picture, framed them, and given them to each Clarisse and Joseph. It was that picture that now lay face down on the dresser.
"I guess we've both got the same problem, huh?"
Two arms encircled Clarisse as Mia pulled her into a comforting hug,
"You know what, Grandma? You're still kinda cool for a Queen."
Clarisse laughed softly and hugged her only granddaughter.